Cremations and funerals

Cremations, burials and funeral services are going ahead. Funeral directors and crematoriums will take extra steps to stop the spread of coronavirus and protect you and their staff.

The law says that only immediate family members can leave their homes to go to a funeral service. If there are no family members, friends can go. Staff and people attending must stay two metres apart unless they're from the same household.

Although you might not be able to have the kind of service you had planned it's important not to delay a cremation or funeral.

Some of the rules around arranging a cremation have been relaxed. For example, another relative can arrange the cremation if the closest relative isn't able to. The crematorium or funeral director can explain what to do.

No one wants to have to arrange a funeral at what is already a difficult time. If you do, having an understanding of what is involved and how to deal with problems will help.

The person named by the deceased in a will or declaration should arrange the funeral. If they don’t want to, or there’s no named person, there’s a hierarchy of people who can arrange it, starting with the nearest relative. If there is no one, the local authority will arrange a simple funeral.

The person may have left instructions about the type of funeral and burial they wanted. There is no legal obligation for these instructions to be followed, but they usually are.

Read about how funerals are arranged, what services you can expect to get from a funeral director and how to get help with paying.

Planning your own funeral in Scotland

The Scottish Government has produced a booklet called 'Planning Your Own Funeral', which you can use to note down your wishes. This is available at www.gov.scot.

How funerals are arranged

Most funerals are arranged through a funeral director. Find one who belongs to one of the professional associations, such as the National Association of Funeral Directors - NAFD or the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors – SAIF. These associations have codes of practice and complaints procedures. Some local authorities also run their own funeral services by arrangement with a local firm of funeral directors.

The Scottish Government has produced guidance on arranging a funeral. It is available on www.mygov.scot.

The deceased person may have left a written note of their wishes, sometimes with their will. The Scottish Government has produced a booklet called 'Planning Your Own Funeral', which the deceased person may have used to note down their wishes. This is available at www.gov.scot.

Arranging a funeral without a funeral director

You can arrange a funeral without a funeral director. If you want to do this, the Natural Death Centre or Cemeteries and Crematorium department of your local authority can offer help and guidance.

Dealing with funeral costs

If you arrange the funeral with a funeral director, you're responsible for the costs. You should ask to see a price list before choosing a funeral, or explain how much you have to spend and see what services are possible.

The person who died might have paid for their funeral already. This is called a funeral plan. If you don’t know if there’s a funeral plan, you can:

Getting a written estimate

Once you've chosen the funeral, you should be given a written estimate giving a breakdown of all of the costs involved. Ask for one if it's not provided.

If you want to compare costs, you can contact other funeral directors, or ask someone else to help you with this.

Services provided by funeral directors

A basic funeral is likely to include:

a plain, lined coffin

transport of the body of the person who has died to the funeral director's premises, usually up to ten miles from wherever the death occurred

the care of the person who has died until the funeral. This will include washing and dressing the person who has died and laying the body out, but will not include embalming

providing a hearse to take the body to the nearest crematorium or burial ground

providing the necessary people to carry the coffin

making all other necessary arrangements, for example, getting the required forms.

Other services funeral directors could provide, or which you may want to sort out elsewhere are:

flowers

a more expensive coffin and fittings

press notices

a medical certificate required for cremation, and any doctor's fees for signing this

an organist

fees for religious services

a burial or crematorium fee. The burial fee will usually include the costs of preparing the grave

extra cars

embalming

extra services by the funeral director, for example, use of the Chapel of Rest, transport from the mortuary, or special viewing arrangements

the cost of journeys of more than ten miles to the funeral director's premises

a memorial

catering arrangements

stationery.

Signing a contract

You may need to sign a contract with the funeral director. Make sure you read it carefully and ask the funeral director about anything you don’t understand.

Paying for the funeral

Some funeral directors might ask for a deposit before making the funeral arrangements.

You may be offered a discount to pay for the funeral before or soon after it takes place. If you know the money will be released at a later date to cover the cost, you might want to consider a bank loan or overdraft to pay early.

Money may be released later, if the person who has died made arrangements to pay for their funeral through an insurance or other policy, or if money is released after their estate has been dealt with.

If there is a legal claim for negligence against someone for the death, the cost of the funeral can be claimed as compensation.

Otherwise, you may agree payment by instalment, or pay after the legal process of dealing with the person’s estate has been settled.